Organic Criteria
Transition Time: How much time must a field be grown with organic techniques before
it can be certified as an organic farm?
Off-Farm Inputs: What rules govern the use and importation of inputs not produced on
the farm. This can include minerals, fertilizers etc.
Manure Management: What kind of manure may be used. Is external manure
prohibited? What about manure from Intensive livestock operations (ILOs)?
Isolation Requirements: What size of buffer zone must be maintained between an
organic farm and conventional farmland?
Seeds, Seedlings, etc: Where do the seed inputs for the farm have to come from? What
sorts of seed treatments are allowed, do the seeds have to be organically grown?
Parallel Production: What are the rules governing farms growing the same crops both
organically and conventionally?
Split Production: What are the rules on farms that have both organic and conventional
operations?
Crop Rotation: Can include rules for crop and field rotations to benefit soil health, or
rules for rotating fields into and out of organic status.
Affiliations (not completed): What other organic organizations is this organization
affiliated with?
Chain-Of-Custody: What are the procedures for ensuring the separation of organic and
conventional crops through the chain of custody from field to store shelf?